Get Psyched Sports

About Us

Khari RoulhacKhari Roulhac, Boston native and President of GetPsychedSports.org, is a school administrator and currently Dean of Students at Newton North High School, with over twenty years experience in athletics and education. He is also co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Social Emotional Learning Alliance of Massachusetts (SEL4MA). In addition, Khari served on a 25-person Remodeling Athletics Committee at the Boston Public Schools that changed the mission and vision of athletics to include the purposeful teaching of social emotional learning.

Prior to his work as Dean, he spent twenty years in athletic administration at Cathedral High School (Athletic Director), MassBay Community College (Associate Athletic Director) and Bunker Hill Community College (Athletic Director).

In those capacities, Khari has been steadfast in maintaining a standard of academic excellence by putting academics first and initiating programs like Young Men of Color (YMOC) for at risk students, an Academic Success Program to support athletes’ academic performance, and the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), which provides a vehicle for students to voice their experiences.

Students identify his office as a safe space to reflect, problem solve and receive support in academics and social development with special attention to the issues of people of color. Khari has been intentional about establishing environments of teamwork and support for students. Creating a culture of goal setting, effort, and accountability has become his signature.

Dr. Julie WiernikDr. Julie Wiernik is a licensed clinical sport and performance psychologist in private practice and owner of the Texas Center for Sport Psychology in San Antonio, TX. She has been practicing in the field of mental health and sport psychology since 1997. She currently counsels numerous athletic students and professional athletes and their families.  Her extensive training as a clinical psychologist and certification in sport psychology gives her the expertise to offer comprehensive mental health services to athletes of all ages and backgrounds.

As an athletic student, Dr. Wiernik played numerous sports in high school and went on to the University of North Florida where she was a 4-year softball starter from 1992-1996. As a competitive athlete, she understands the mental and physical stressors an athlete will experience and uses this first-hand knowledge to help and identify with her athletes.

Dr. Wiernik is inspired to help others to become mentally strong, both on and off the playing fields.  In 2010, Dr. Wiernik became the owner of the Texas Center for Sport Psychology in San Antonio, Texas.  She consults with various sports clubs, professional organizations, and college/universities as well as individual athletes., Dr. Wiernik continues to help her athletes mentally train and cope with the various stressors such as injury, coaches, burnout/balance, performance anxiety/pressures, and other issues athletes face.

Mitch LyonsMitch Lyons, a retired lawyer, is the founder of GetPsychedSports.org in 2002 and the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts in 2011.  He is now retired in Newton, Massachusetts with Joanne, his wife of fifty years.

Beginning in 1988, Mitch has coached in all types of sports leagues available to children: town recreational leagues (8 years); travel teams (8 years); AAU basketball (9 years); girls and boys high school basketball (8 years); Division III college basketball (3 years).

In 2016, Mitch began work with Boston Public Schools to remodel athletics in keeping with the importance the BPS administration attached to the teaching of social-emotional learning skills through sport.

Mitch played full-court basketball until he was 65 years old, often three times a week.  It’s mentioned here because competition and playing in the post has been a constant joy for him.

Khari, Julie and Mitch are currently co-writing a book titled
“Dropping the Ball in High School Athletics:
Why a Written Social Emotional Learning Curriculum on Teams Changes Everything.”